Milking barn



June 7, 1949. J. POLIVKA 2,472,122

MILKING BARN Filed April 20, 1944 2 SheetsSheet 1 ml 80/16? E0041 MM H0056 80 CO0L/N6 MOM June 7, 1949- G. J. POLIVKA- 2,472,122

MILKING BARN 7 Filed. April 20, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f fi/W f 72 herzzzu Patented June 7, 1949 George P vka. La. Grange, 1 1-; Dor thy B- Polivka executrixqof; said George J. Pgolivka, de-

ceased Application April 20; 1944', Serial No. 531,907

9 Claims.

1 The present improvements have to do largely with a barn structure in which provision is made for a novel arrangement of stalls for accommodation. of cows during a milking operation, the,

primary objects being to provide for greater ease and expedition in this work, reduction in effort and expense in the care and upkeep of the premises, and promotion of sanitary conditions at all times. Theseobjects, as well as others which will hereinafter appear, may be attained by a construction such as isshown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein-.-

Figure 1 is a. horizontal section through a milking barn showing the general plan and arrangement of the ramps, aisles, stalls, and milkhouse;

Fig. 2 is a detail in section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of- Fig. 2.

The milking barn here illustrated comprises side and end walls l and M respectively, together with a floor I2. At one end of the barn is a central entering passage I4 defined by spaced partitions it beyond which are cross partitions l5 and ii with ramps l8 extending oppositely be" tween them to connect with elevated aisles 20, one disposed adjacent each side of the building. The room A to one side of the entering passage-- Way, entered by doors at opposite ends, may be used for storage or other purposes, whereas the room B on the opposite sideof the same passageway may accommodate a boiler or heating plant, fuel bin, and other desired equipment. At opposite ends of the entering: passageway I have shown doors 2! and 22, the latter hinged to the partition l! at 23, so as to swing either Way to a position of rest at the juncture of the partitions l5 and i5, thereby to block off passage to. one of the two ramps l8.

The aisles which continue near to the opposite end of the building join with descending ramps 24 leading down to approximately ground level, where an exit door 25 is provided for each of the aisles. A drain opening 26 is placed near the base of the ramp and cross grooves formed in the surface thereof may be so pitched as to.

facilitate flow of water to the drain opening. In like manner the ramps l8 may be provided with cross grooves to facilitate flow of water to the In the construction of the present milking barn concrete may be used with advantage for the foundations, ramps, aisles, and even the stalls and supports thereof, as will presently be noted.

Each aisle is desirably pitched slightly to the inner side where a plurality of drain openings 3.0;

are provided, each in connection withv a pipe 3:l forming part of a drainage system. Near the; opposite side of each aisle adjacent the outside. wall It of the building I provide a plurality of hatchways 36 each communicating with a bin C belowthe aisle. Desirably this bin rises from the floor I 2 and is also provided with an opening 3 8. leading to the outside of the barn, a door 39 being placed in the opening to aflord a closure therefor. The floor of the bin is substantially at ground level thereby facilitating the Work involved in moving material out through the opening 38 for clean-out purposes.

Leading upwardly from each hatchway is an air duct 4'8 that may be supported against the proxi-' mate building wall In. The side walls of each duct are flared out as at 4| near the aisle level to extend past the hatchway 36 on opposite sides thereof, the space between these flared walls beingv ope-n for the reception of material that is: to. be pushed thereinto for discharge through the hatchway intothebin therebelow. A lid 42 which is hinged at 43 is adapted to close this opening whereby t0. plQmote ventilation through the duct; when swung open to a past center position as shown in Fig. 2, the interior of the duct at its basev is uncovered to receive material thereinto for discharge through the hatchway.

Each. aisle may be supported adjacent its outer side by one of the outside building walls (see 2). Lhe inner side of each aisle receives support from a wall 5i.) which upstands from the floor L2, to form a back wall for the several bins C.

Extended inwardly from each aisle is a plurality of stalls D each supported in part by the wall 50. and also by spaced parallel walls 5! (see Fig. 3) which rest upon the floor- I2. As shown, the stalls are arranged in closely spaced, side-by-side, parallel and diagonal relation. The floor of each stall is. desirably raised slightly, say four inches above the aisle (see Fig. 2), and at its inner end is provided with an upstanding low As. shown. his manger which is in the form of a trough may be supported at its closed ends at 6| upon a pair of links 52- which are pivoted at B3 to an approved: stanchion frame structure 64.. an le lip. s adapt d o est. upon an up r corner o the stall wall 56 an s s cur d ther to.

to receive engagement from the manger when the latter is in use.

In the arrangement shown, there are two single end stalls and a plurality of double stalls therebetween, each being separated from the one adjacent by the minimum of space which is necessary and convenient for accommodation of a pair of milking machines E and F, one for each adjacent stall. The space between and around the stalls in which the attendants are free to move is on the floor level of the barn, whereas the stalls and the connecting aisles therefor are at a raised elevation of perhaps a couple of feet. Each cow, therefore, stands in an elevated position so as to facilitate work of the attendants in use of the milking machines.

At the outer end of each stall is a vertical shoulder which defines the differential in levels at that point. The sides of the stalls are desirably provided by a suitable pipe framework which extends rearwardly from the stanchion 64 and then downwardly to join with curb walls 12 of concrete which extend along the inner edge of the aisle and toward the proximate stall side which is farthest removed from the aisle. The drain openings 30 are desirably positioned along the low sides of the aisle between the stalls and adjacent the curb walls 12. The floor of each double stall may be pitched toward the center (see Fig. 3) where I mount a vertical pipe 13 which makes for suflicient separation between adjacent cows in this stall.

From the aisles down to the lower floor level I may provide stairs 15 near one end of the building. The width of the building is preferably such that each aisle and stalls extended therefrom shall be spaced from the other aisle and associated stalls a distance sufiicient for placing near the center of the building of a storage room G in which may be kept milking machines and other equipment. Such a room may desirably be constructed of walls made of glass brick, both for the transmission of light and for cleanliness. At one end of this room is a door 16 which enters from a passage 11 on the opposite side of which is a milkhouse H which may be extended lengthwise of the building clear tothe end thereof where an entering door 18 is provided. This milkhouse is also desirably built with walls of glass brick. At its inner end is a second door 19 permitting entrance thereto from the passage 11. Within the milkhouse is a cooling room 80 having a door 8| into a main passage 82 in the milkhouse, and a second door 83 at one end where steps 84 lead down to an end room whose floor 85 is of lower elevation. Other steps 86 connect the floors 82 and 85 of differing levels and likewise steps 81 are provided at the door 19. A wash tank 90 may be located adjacent the steps 86. Extending centrally into the room along the floor 85 of lower elevation is a cooler unit 9| opposite one end of which may be placed cans 92 to receive the discharged cooled milk. The opposite cooler end connects with a bowl 93 on the outside of the milkhouse and at a sufficient elevation above the floor of the passage H to cause a gravity flow of milk into the cooler unit. To facilitate pouring of the milk into this bowl I may provide a raised step 94, as shown.

A milking barn having this special construction and arrangement of stalls, aisles, ramps, and milkhouse requires but a minimum of area for the accommodation of all such units. Of importance, moreover, is the ease and expedition with which milking operations may be conducted.

4 In practice, several cows, up to twelve according to the number of stalls indicated in the drawing, may be admitted through the entering passage l4. As the cows advance processionally, they turn to the right or left according to the position of the door 22 to ascend one of the ramps 18. The cows, proceeding one after the other, move along the proximate aisle 2B, and with little or no attention will turn into the vacant diagonal stalls to occupy therein the positions intended for them.

At this point an attendant on the fioor may advance adjacent the stalls, in order, bringing to each the milking machine which is to be attached operatively to the cow. In practice, the

leading cow will move into the stall furthest along the aisle and presumably will be the first that is ready to be milked. Starting from this end, the attendant will then advance along the remaining stalls to attach milking machines to the cows which hav taken up positions therein. By the time this has been done, the milking operation of the first cow may have been completed. The step of detaching the milking machines, in order, may next be performed, and as each cow is freed she will be ready to back out of the stall the few feet that is necessary to resume forward movement along the aisle at the end of which is the descending ramp 24. With a little training the cows that are milked in such a barn will readily learn the correct maneuvers so that their advance along the aisles into the stalls, and later out of them for departure from the barn, will proceed expeditiously, and require little or no watching on the part of the attendants.

It is to be noted that the diagonal arrangement of stalls places the inner corner of one opposite the adjacent stall at a point which is removed from its inner corner; in other words, each stall along one side projects inwardly a considerable distance beyond the proximate side of the next adjacent stalla stepped arrangement, as it were. Because of this special relationship it is possible to locate two milking machines E and F in the single space between two adjacent stalls, each machine close to the stall containing the cow to which it is attached, with ample room around the machine for the attendant to pass or stand when he is doing his work. This is important because if the machines, in use, were to be placed as is usual, i. e. about opposite each other, the clearance between stalls would have to be greater in order to provide suificient working room for the attendants.

In keeping the milking barn clean and in a sanitary condition, I provide for complete drainage through the several holes 30 in the aisle and also through the drain openings at the bottom of the several ramps. In a hosing operation all contaminating matter is flushed out and down through the drains. Heavy matter, such as manure, may be collected for discharge into the hatchways 36, but only when the lids 42 are first raised to expose the same. At all other times these hatchways are closed and the ventilating ducts in connection therewith are fully operative. Disposal of the manure which collects in the bins C may readily be performed by its transference through the openings 38 into trucks which may be driven close thereto along the outside of the building.

A milking barn embodying the features of my invention reduces the labor involved in each milking operation. With as many as twelve stalls on each of the two aisles, two herds of twelve each can be admitted to the barn at one time; also a lesser number down to perhaps one third of that number can be handled with distinct advantage. The arrangement is therefore one which is flexible in that the number of cows to be milked at one time may vary widely, with more or less attendants on hand, as necessary, yet with a definite saving in time and eifort all around.

I claim:

1. A milking barn in which is provided an aisle, and a plurality of spaced side-by-side stalls diagonally extended from the aisle, the inner corner of one stall proximate to the adjacent stall being disposed opposite thereto at a point which is remote from the inner end of the stall last noted whereby the space between the stalls may accommodate a pair of milking machines, each near the outer end of one stall and proximate thereto, at unequal distances from the aisle.

2. A milking barn above whose floor is provided a raised aisle and a plurality of spaced side-by-side raised stalls diagonally extended from the aisle, the inner corner of one stall proximate .to the adjacent stall being disposed opposite thereto at a point which is remote from the inner end of the stall last noted whereby the floor space of lower elevation between the stalls may accommodate a pair of milking machines, each near the outer end of one stall and proximate thereto, at unequal distances from the aisle.

3. A milking barn above whose floor is provided a raised aisle and a plurality of closely spaced side-by-side stalls extended diagonally from the aisle and disposed at an elevation slightly thereabove, the inner end of each stall being further raised to provide an elevated support for the front feet of a cow accommodated within the stall, the stall inner corner proximate to the adjacent stall being disposed opposite thereto at a point which is remote from the inner end of the stall last noted whereby the floor space of lower elevation between the stalls may accommodate a pair of milking machines, each near the outer end of one stall and proximate thereto, at unequal distances from the aisle.

4. A milking barn above whose floor is provided a raised aisle and a plurality of closely spaced side-by-side stalls extended diagonally from the aisle, the inner end of each stall being slightly raised to provide an elevated support for the front feet of a cow accommodated within the stall, the stall inner corner proximate to the adjacent stall being disposed opposite thereto at a point which is remote from the inner end of the stall last noted whereby the floor space of lower elevation between the stalls may accommodate a pair of milking machines, each near the outer end of one stall and proximate thereto, at unequal distances from the aisle.

5. A milking barn having a main floor at one elevation, an aisle at an elevation above the floor extending longitudinally of one barn wall adjacent the same, ramps leading up to and down from the aisle at opposite ends thereof, a plurality of elevated side-by-side stalls projecting over the main floor from said aisle and having their outer ends located at the inner side of said aisle, a plurality of hatchways through the aisle located entirely beyond the outer ends of the stalls and bins arranged beneath the hatchways and also located beyond the outer ends of said stalls.

6. A milking barn having a main floor at one elevation, aisles arranged in parallelism and extending longitudinally of opposite barn walls and located adjacent the same, a plurality of elevated side-by-side stalls projecting over the main floor from each of said aisles and having their outer ends located adjacent the inner sides of the aisles, an entrance located at one end of the barn between said aisles, exits located at the other end of the barn adjacent the proximate ends of said aisles, transverse ramps extending upwardly from said entrance to said aisles at one end thereof, and other ramps extending downwardly from the other ends of said aisles to said exits.

7. A milking barn having a main floor at one elevation, aisles at an elevation above the floor extending longitudinally of the barn at opposite walls thereof and located adjacent the same, a plurality of elevated side-by-side stalls projecting over the main floor from said aisles and having their outer ends located at the inner sides of the aisles, an entrance located at one end of the barn between said aisles, transverse ramps extending upwardly from the entrance to the proximate ends of the aisles and a hinged closure mounted between said transverse ramps and arranged to swing in opposite directions for alternately exposing and closing the ramps.

8. A milking barn having a main floor at one elevation, aisles arranged in parallelism and extending longitudinally of opposite barn walls and located adjacent the same, a plurality of elevated side-by-side stalls projecting over the main floor from each of said aisles and having their outer ends located adjacent the inner sides of the aisles, an entrance located at one end of the barn between said aisles, exits located at the other end of the barn adjacent the proximate ends of said aisles, transverse ramps extending upwardly from said entrance to said aisles at one end thereof, other ramps extending downwardly from the other ends of said aisles to said exits, bins located beneath said aisles and arranged beyond the outer ends of the stalls and accessible exteriorly of the barn, and hatchways extending through the aisles and communicating with the bins.

9. A milking barn having a main floor at one elevation, an aisle at an elevation above the floor extending longitudinally of one barn wall adjacent the same, ramps leading up to and down from the aisle at opposite ends thereof, and a plurality of elevated side-by-side stalls projecting over the main floor from said aisle and having their outer ends located at the inner side of said aisle.

GEORGE J. POLIVKA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 343,821 Kuhne June 15, 1886 357,875 St. German Feb. 15, .1887

1,468,829 Owen Sept. 25, 1923 1,797,671 Page Mar: 24, 1931 1,981,166 Duttweiler Nov. 20, 1934 2,081,947 McCornack June 1, 1937 2,102,267 Hodsdon Dec. 14, 1937 2,269,012 De Carli Jan. 6, 1942 

